This invention relates to a new and improved head-protective helmet and thermal or infrared imaging apparatus. The helmet provides the wearer of the combination with head protection against falling objects in a hostile environment, such as for example a fire, and the thermal imaging apparatus provides the wearer with a thermal or infrared image in the wearer's field of view permitting the wearer to see objects radiating thermal energy in the infrared spectrum which otherwise would be obscured from the wearer's view due, for example, to dense smoke encountered in a fire; the thermal imaging apparatus also permits viewing of fire or other hot spot radiating energy in the infrared range but obscured, for example, by a wall or roof. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the invention relates to a new and improved fireman's helmet and thermal or infrared imaging apparatus.
Numerous head-protective helmets are known to the art, such as for example the FIREMAN'S HELMET WITH ENERGY ABSORBING LINER disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,339 issued Sep. 1, 1981 to Peter A. Coombs inventor and the PROTECTIVE HELMET ASSEMBLY INCLUDING RELEASEABLE HEAD RETAINING ASSEMBLY disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,016 issued Sep. 3, 1991 to Christopher E. Coombs, both patents assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. These patents are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully reproduced herein. Also, numerous thermal or infrared imaging apparatus are known to the art for providing a person with an image of objects radiating energy in the infrared range. Also known to the art are combination helmet and thermal camera arrangements such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,914 issued Feb. 18, 1992 to James A. Prescott, inventor, and assigned to EEV Limited.
However, there still exists a need in the art for new and improved combination head-protective helmet and thermal imaging apparatus which is particularly useful when embodied as a combination fireman's helmet and thermal imaging apparatus wherein the thermal imaging apparatus is mounted advantageously to the fireman's helmet to reduce discomfort to the fireman and to provide the fireman with hands-free wearing of the combination thereby facilitating the fireman's ability to wear the combination while engaged in fire fighting and which combination provides the fire fighter with the thermal image of objects he cannot otherwise see with his natural eyesight, such as for example bodies of unconscious but alive fire and smoke victims present at a fire scene. There also exists a need in the fire fighting art for mounting the thermal or infrared sensor camera of such thermal imaging apparatus in a temperature protected manner so as to reduce the influence of a heated environment such as is present at a fire scene, on the camera which is thermal sensitive.